A Maryland state trooper has been charged with an assault on a man in custody who was under arrest for tossing a lit cigarette on the trooper.

Trooper First Class Nathan Steelman, 28, was charged Tuesday with second-degree assault and misconduct in office. Steelman has been suspended with pay since the incident was reported.

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A Maryland State Police criminal investigation began on Dec. 10, 2014, when state police personnel at the Glen Burnie Barrack reported seeing Steelman punch a handcuffed suspect while escorting him in the barrack that afternoon.

The investigation indicates Steelman had been off-duty and in plainclothes earlier that day when he walked by a car in an Anne Arundel County convenience store parking lot and the driver allegedly flicked a lit cigarette at him that hit him in his chest. The trooper identified himself and a verbal altercation ensued before the individual drove away.

Steelman obtained a tag number and, after consulting with a supervisor, identified the driver and applied for charges from a court commissioner. The commissioner issued a warrant for Chuck T. Snook Jr., 31, of Glen Burnie, charging him with second-degree assault and related charges.

A uniformed trooper arrested Snook on Dec. 10, 2014. State police said Snook was being disorderly and uncooperative.

Investigators said Steelman, while escorting Snook inside the barrack, pushed the handcuffed man into the restroom door and struck him in the torso several times with a closed fist. At least one other trooper witnessed and reported the incident.

Snook did not require medical treatment. The charges against him were later dropped by the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office. Based on the state police investigation, prosecutors determined Steelman should be charged with second-degree assault and misconduct in office.

Internal affairs officials are also investigating the incident.

Steelman has been a member of the Maryland State Police for five years. He was assigned as an investigator with the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center.